Redemption
by Invader Terak
Summary: All this time, Zim's tried to kill me, he's threatened me, and I've done the same. But now he want's my help...
1. Chapter 1

Note: My first fic!OH YEAH! Okay. From this story you'll get the tone at wich all my fics are going to be written at.

When I got out of the Skool that day, there were only two things on my mind; getting home as fast as I could and the threatening letter I'd found in my locker that morning. I shuddered at the thought of it. I knew that nobody believed me, thought I was crazy, ridiculed me...but no one had even mentioned of taking it this far. I'd have to watch my step if I didn't want to get jumped.

Quickening my pace, I came to an old back road between two pizza shops. Thinking that if I took it and ran the rest of the way home, I could get home in time to see _Mysterious Mysteries. _I gave a hollow laugh, thinking about how I could even be considering something like that at the time. But still, I took it. That would be one of the worst decisions I would ever make.

I shivered as I walked down the abandoned path. The scene was almost too scary, like one of those murder mysteries on A&E. Still, though, I kept walking. As I did so, I thought about the note. No, It definitely wasn't Zim, he had called in absent after a 'little accident'. Not that the thought gave me any comforting feelings; Zim wasn't the one to trust.

I was snapped back to reality when the wind blew the lid off of a trash can. I stopped jogging, my paranoia taking hold. Starting towalk more carefully,I thoughtthat maybe, just maybe, the person who was out to get me might be in the alley. God, I hate being right sometimes.

There came a place where there was a small alley joined in with the one that I was on. Unfortunately, I ignored it. As I walked past it, the note writer, school bully, and overall 'popular' boy, Kris, jumped out at me. I didn't really get a good look at him, but I new exactly who it was, with his bright red leather jacket andblazing green eyes.But all he had the chance to do was push me, because that was all it would take.

I stumbled backward, surprise gripping me. As I did so, my foot caught in a bent gap in arusty water grate. I twisted, trying to regain my balance, but my foot was still stuck. I fell, screaming with pain as my ankle broke like a twig. As I stumbled, I got a glimpse of Kris's amused face, and a fierce rage enveloped me. It was short lived, however, and my screams of pain and anger were cut off when I hit my head on a sharp edge on a dumpster. And then, nothing.

_"Two paths diverged on a road, and I_

_I took the one less traveled by_

_And that has made all the difference." _You'd better believe it did.

I awoke,a loud ringing in my head. I tried to move, but then let out a cry of pain in as I realized my foot was still stuck in the grate. It felt like an eternity before I regained my composure. I carefully sat upright, noticing how I could barely move my uninjured leg. It was only then that I noticed the wound on my head. I reached my hand up to my head, then gasped. I looked from my bloody hand to the lever, which was also covered in the red substance. I wondered how I didn't impale my head.

I focused my attention on my injured foot, which remained in the rusty grate. I immediately wished I hadn't. It hung limply in the grate, a sharp bone sticking out of the skin, dried blood all over the shoe.Never had I seen anything so painful-looking before, and it seemed ironic it wason me. _Morbid thoughts are met with morbid outcomes_, I thought to myself. With all my strength, I stood up on my good leg, and eased my injured one out of the drainage grate. With some painful effort, I managed to get it out. I fell back onto the ground; my activity had drained every small bit of energy that I had. Using some mental effort, I fell asleep.

When I forced myself awake, face up to the night, I noticed through the streetlights nearby that ominous dark thunderheads floated through the sky. "Perfect," I muttered, cursing my luck. Looking around for shelter, I noticed a large cardboard box propped against the side of the dumpster. It'd have to do. Using the energy gained from my sleep, I crawled over to the side of the dumpster opposite the grate, and flipped the box over so I could crawl in. In my sleep, I had considered the fact of leaning against the wall for support and hopping out of the alley, where I could call help. But for some reason, the tiniest acts used up a great amount of energy. At that point, I almost abandoned all hope. But I stopped myself, knowing that if I gave up hope, I'd lose the will to survive. And if that happened, there wasn't any chance I'd live.

That morning, when I woke up, it was still raining. Hard. My box was keeping me dry at least, though I wasn't sure how long It'd last.I turned my attention to my head. Whatever had happened, It had screwed up some nerve track or something like that. The point was, I had no energy and could barely even use my _good_ leg. With a finger, I traced the gash. It ran from my left temple all the way down to the cheek. If I did live through this, I'd have a real nasty scar. "_NO!_" I screamed. Not 'if'! _When_. Maybe...

As each second passed, even more despair set in. Under the pressure, I began to do something I hadn't done in a very long time. Cry. Towards noon, I'd wasted most of my energy doing so. It was only then I realized how hungry I was. I remembered my packed lunch that I didn't eat, and took it from my backpack. As I ate, I began deciding what I would do. I had no choice except to leave the alley, and it was going to take at least a day. _Man life sucks_, I thought to myself.

The rain had finally gone away, but my head was hurting even more. I crawled out of the box, looking for the shortest route out of there. The problem was, there wasn't a short way out of this and I knew it. Not caring or wondering what happened, I continued the way I was going to take yesterday. At least it was the weekend.

This whole thing was hopeless though. Within five minutes I was so tired that I just couldn't move, and the alley seemed to go on forever. I was going insane from the pain, and I thought I may as well just kill myself. Problem was, I was too weak to. I started laughing at how perfectly hopeless everything was, and soon my insane laughter turned to anger and sorrow. "_YOU HAPPY, GOD?_" I screamed into the air. But I wasn't finished. "_ALL I DID WAS BELIEVE! I DARED TO THINK WHAT NOBODY ELSE WOULD! AND YOU GIVE ME THIS?_" I continued, pointing to my injured foot as I lay helpless on the ground. I tried to scream again, but then a ringing pain, worse than even when I had broken my foot, surged through my head. My consciousness went out like a candle.

When I woke up, I was soaked in water and blood was dripping from my mouth. With gripping fear, I realized I'd had a seizure. There was almost no hope at all for me anymore. Then with infinite dread, I heard a low humming noise. It was Zim's Voot Cruiser.

_"What are you going to do with him, master?"_

_"I'm going to fix him."_

_"Why? I thought you were all grumpy about Dib."_

_"Yes, I am. But you know the message the Tallest sent..."_

_"Aww, don't cry, master."_

_"The point is, I need him to help me."_

_"Are you sure he'll help?"_

_"I hope so... after all, what he's wanted all along is to destroy the Irkens, and now he's going to get to. The Tallest will be sorry they ever lied to me..."_

_"But what about that mean kid?"_

_"I killed him."_

_"What'll you do if Dib doesn't wanna help?"_

_"I can't stay on this planet. They'll try me for murder."_

_"And then what'll we do when we leave?"_

_"We'll kill the Tallest on our own."_

_"But won't they kill us?"_

_"We'll die trying, GIR."_

well, hope you liked it. thisisn't going tobecome a series story itself, with chapters and all that, but there will be another story that has it's events based on this one. I'm not going tospoil anything right now, but if you look at the ending conversation between Zim and GIR, you'll get a good idea of what's gonna happen. Don't get me wrong, It's notgoing to be that predictable, though.


	2. Dream

note: Invader Terak, signing in! Well, hope you liked the first chapter. This one's gonna be kind of short, but that means I can get chapter 3 in faster.

_With claws that looked like they were made of solid iron, the Irken grasped my neck. Being tired as I was, I couldn't fight back, and he effortlessly threw me against the wall, as if I were no more than a tennis ball. Then, he picked me up and set me on a table, and I knew what was going to happen. Just as the cold steel hit my head, though, I heard a faint song sounding. Evidently, the Irken did to, and immediately froze. After twisting my head, I could hear it clearly:_

_"...And Earth will fight_

_for satan's fire _

_with hands of light _

_on the devil's spire..."_

_The Irken's eye twitched, and he withdrew the scalpel, yet the song continued:_

_"...Although the odds cannot agree_

_for war the gods know is coming,_

_Earthens will destroy Irk with glee_

_and the planets of their wrath burning..."_

_He was on his knees now, trying to cover his antennae, but the music still pierced through:_

_"...Death will come with his scythe of peril_

_and kill those who dare resist,_

_for the humans know the Feral;_

_the sacred law of Amethyst..."_

_Now the Irken was pleading with all he had, begging me to stop it, but I listened to the entrancing song still playing:_

_"...Humans shall prevail, with force_

_though their first battle will be lost,_

_they will have no remorse_

_for the age of Irk is crossed..."_

_Finally the song ended, leaving the Irken on the ground, sobbing with pain. I marveled at how, with simple music, Irkens could be devastated so easily. My peace didn't last for long, though, as an alarm had been sounded and I heard heavy footsteps down the hall. Not wanting to be caught in laser fire, I left, but had to stop as a mighty sight stood before me..._

I awoke from my dream with a small _pop_,but I still couldn't see or move. Then with another _pop_ my sight returned, and I moved my arm up to shield my eyes from the blinding light. I sat up, and foolishly made the mistake of standing, but my foot didn't give. In fact, It didn't hurt at all. I noticed I was in Zim's lab, which immediately cut off the joy of being able to stand again. But, Zim was huddled in a corner of the lab, sobbing and methodically stabbing at a small handheld computer. I didn't even have to think that something,_ something _different was going on.

"You woke sooner than I thought," muttered Zim from across the room.

"What's going on, Zim?" I asked, but not in my usual sneering tone towards Zim.

"I fixed you."

"And," I said, trying to sound commanding, "why did you do that?"

"I need your help..." he whispered, much quieter than before.

I tried to talk, but could only stand there with my mouth hanging open.

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Yeah, second chapter was short, but I hope you liked the poem! Don't worry, It's not going to be the last, either.


	3. Decision

note: I have to confess. I have absolutely no idea where this story is going to go in the future, and I'm basically just making it up as I go. It's working, right?

The Massive was buzzing with activity as it headed back towards planet Irk. Defenses were being raised, lasers readied, shields activated. And all because of just _one...single...Irken... _

Tallest Red gnawed at his pen in frustration. Why was he so nervous? It was _Zim_ for Irk's sake! But something had made him flinch inside; was it the look on Zim's face, the tone of his voice, the actual threats he made, or all of them put together? He glanced over the table at Purple, who seemed equally as nervous. When he nodded, Red played the C.D. again:

_"Greetings Tallest. I expect you want a good laugh out of this message, but don't get your pathetic hopes up._

_After my Invadership was so nicely crushed by you, I've decided to...as they say here, even the score._

_Enjoy your last days on The Massive, they'll be the last you ever know. I may, or may not, have help, but regardless:_

_you'll die like the so many you've killed with just three...simple...words..."_

Seeing the video again made Red shudder. He thought about the "words" Zim was talking about. "Fire organic sweep..." Purple muttered, burying his face in his hands and throwing his small handheld computer across the room. "What are we going to do?" Red asked, bowing his head.

"Fight, I guess."

"But it would be so easy for him to get through to us!"

"Raise defenses."

"I don't think that'll help at all."

"IT'S ZIM! What could he possibly do?"

"Any Irken dedicated enough could do what he's going to do... or at least try..."

Then, a thought occurred to Red. Purple evidently thought of the same thing, and a faint expression of hope crossed both their faces.

Simultaneosly, they uttered this word:

"...maybe..."

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note: short, yes, but I'm afraid it was necessary.


	4. Discovery

note:uggh. Severe writer's block going on here, so forgive any mistakes in this chapter.

Zim seemed to have been in high spirits since I'd accepted his offer to help him. But there was something that worried me more than anything: GIR was solemn and silent. But most of all, serious. There just had to be something going on if the little android wasn't screaming about tacos and/or waffles.

"Dib," Zim called from over an intercom. "I have a test you need to take."_ Oh, yeah. This should be fun. _"Please go through that door," and at those words arrows flashed on the cieling towards the door on my left, even though it was the only door. I stepped through, not knowing what could happen. The room was a large dome, and Zim was sitting in a control room at the top. "Ever fought before?"

"You're making me fight GIR?" I asked, anger creeping into my voice. "Don't worry, Dib. The only way you could lose is if you did so on purpose." _Oh. When he 'fixed' me he must have done a few other things, too._ But before I could give any more thought to it, GIR sprang forward, eyes blazing red and fist raised.

To my surprise, I found his fist moving quite slow in my mind's eye. Then, seemingly of it's own accord, my brain calculated the speed at which the fist was traveling at and what the minimum force would be to stop it. I blinked, then stepped to the side. GIR missed completely, and fell over himself behind me. Before I could turn around, GIR was on his feet again and coming back at me, this time aiming to kick. Again my brain did those involountary calculations, and this time I blocked. GIR's leg fell away with a loud _thunk _and without hurting my arm at all. He then tried to counter with a punch, and this time I jumped high above his head. Twisting around with precision impossible to me before, I threw my leg out and crushed GIR's head with a kick. He flew back about three feet, and this time didn't get back up. Looking up towards the control room at the top of the white dome, I got the pleasure of seeing Zim's face. He expression was twisted in surprise, antennae both straight up in the air. Finally, he regained his composure, and said, "Very well done Dib. Far past expectations." I grinned, knowing our mission was going to be a success no matter what the Tallest's threw at us.

GIR got back up, smiling. "Wow, Dib. I didn' know you were so fast."

"I didn't know either."

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note: You better believe Dib's gonna kick some serious ass now!


	5. End:Truth revealed

note: For those of you who don't know, my computer crashed and I have to do this fic from school computers now. So forgive the delay, and enjoy what I can give you, please.

Confusion mixed with happiness into a psychotic cocktail in my head. Zim said he'd installed a Pak. But I was positive there wasn't the heavy metal object to be found anywhere on me; and I had no idea what to say. I didn't need to say anything,though. Police sirens blared in the distance, and they were coming nearer.

"YOU DID WHAT?"I screamed, frustrated at Zim's stupid nature."You can't just go around killing people like that! It's not what we do here..." Zim only sat in silence, listening to the sirens closing in. But then his antennae perked up in sudden alarm.

"Dib!" he said, panicking. I had no idea what all of a sudden made him worry, but then I heard it too. It wasn't any normal police siren:it was that of the Swollen Eyeball Network. Someone must've found out about something we did.

"Zim, how did youkill him?" I quickly asked, knowing that the sirens were now right on top of us. Zim buried his face in his claws.

"I out-vibrated his heart with an amplitude gun... I thought it would be impossible for them to find out..."

But then, in a flurry of gunfire and people in black suits, the Agents stormed the base. Somehow they reached the lab where we were, and I knew that even if I was one of them, there would be no defending myself when they saw me with Zim. I caught a glimpse of Darkbooty's disgusted face, there was a flash of blue, a scream, and then...nothing.

_**THE END  
To be continued in story 2-  
Flinch:The Ward**_

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sorry, but couldn't come up with a good transition between settings, so I'm starting a new story where this one left off. I got the inspiration for it from the movies "Hostel" and "Saw", It's going to be really violent and creepy, but Ithink you'll love it.


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